1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a golf club and, particularly, to a golf club head. More specifically, the invention is related to an improvement of the head and, more specifically, to an improvement of a "wood" type of head.
2. Discussion of Background and Relevant Information
While playing golf, the player displaces a golf ball by propelling it with a golf club which is constituted by a shaft having a head at its lower end, whereas its upper end is equipped with a handle, often referred to as a grip.
To play golf, the player uses a certain number of clubs, all of which are different from one another and which are generally categorized into three classes, viz., woods, irons and putters.
Currently, clubs used by golfers when leaving the "tee" or starting zone to send the ball over relatively long distances are called "woods," and every manufacturer provides its products with a specific structure, while respecting a certain number of rules necessary for standardizing such clubs in competition. Thus, it is necessary to have a fixed dimension, inclination and mass, although a large number of other parameters are completely unregulated, and this is why there currently exists a very large diversity of products of very different designs.
In the game of golf, the precision of shots depends on a certain number of parameters, and especially human parameters. The forward hitting movement can be more or less precise and the position of the golf head during impact can be more or less precise with respect to the ball. Golfers are aware that the least lack of precision at the moment of striking the ball can have very disastrous consequences. Indeed, at the moment of impact, the point of impact of the ball on the hitting face of the club head must be perfectly aligned, joining the center of gravity of the ball and the center of gravity of the golf head. If this condition is not respected during impact, the golf head, under the effect of the impact, will pivot and the hitting surface will open or close and the path of the ball will not be the one desired. If the hitting surface opens substantially, the ball will veer to the right, and if the hitting surface closes, the ball will veer to the left. Current golf club heads are not very tolerant with regard to this point and it is necessary to hit the ball with much precision in order to produce a satisfactory shot.
Some manufacturers have already proposed solutions to increase the inertia of the head, but have not really solved the aforementioned problem in a satisfactory manner. That is, there is certainly room for improvements in club head design. One can cite as examples British Patent No. 440,379, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-170175 and International Patent Application WO 88/01524. These documents disclose club heads comprising balancing weights or localized increases in the mass of the club head which only increase the inertia of the club in the vertical direction. The configurations disclosed only resolve problems related to rotations about a vertical axis and thus cause an imbalance in the behavior of the head.